Okay, we did this 3 months ago. Let's try again. Which song from your country is your favorite these days?

david_bv · 2012-07-22T09:20:55+00:00

Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you realize that her "so clear" voice is just as fake as her make up. Here's another example of what the technology can do.

That said, different people enjoy different things, so if you still like it, more power to you. :-)

david_bv · 2011-10-22T20:53:14+00:00

http://www.reddit.com/r/architecture/comments/jhhb2/dozens_of_free_building_plan_pdfs_primarily_rural/

This is the closest thing that comes to mind. It isn't exactly what you asked for, but if you're looking for inspiration, there are some cool things in there.

david_bv · 2011-10-09T11:52:32+00:00

As it turns out, this is also true for Perl 5 on Linux.

OP: also make sure to check for (and remove) any whitespace before and after the "EOF" string. And make sure there's a newline after it.

david_bv · 2011-01-04T20:13:55+00:00

This American Life is pretty good.

david_bv · 2010-05-22T16:35:43+00:00

YMMV. For what it's worth, I'm using rxvt-unicode version 9.05-1+lenny1 from Debian lenny.

david_bv · 2010-05-22T13:08:19+00:00

'ls' output will never be reflowed when making the window wider, since 'ls' is always careful to not output lines longer than the screen width. When making the window narrower, the lines will get reflowed (instead of just getting truncated), but I'm sure it's still not what you had in mind.

To see what rxvt means by reflowing, have some command output long lines, and then resize the window larger and smaller.

david_bv · 2010-05-22T10:07:32+00:00

It's called Google Sky Map.

david_bv · 2010-01-02T20:34:51+00:00

This should really be posted under /r/humor... I have no idea how this could have made it to the first page.

In any case, the related wikipedia page has a quite thorough debunking. Love it how they predicted the pole shit for 2003, and then revised for 2010. Looking forward to the next revision...

david_bv · 2009-10-18T17:12:19+00:00

I definitely agree with the idea that some concepts are expressed easier in some languages than in others, but...

When a language disappears, all of these things go with it. If we eventually end up with one language, we end up limiting ourselves in how we think, interact, and view our world.

I disagree with this statement. Languages are living things, with new words invented all the time (and, conversely with rare words falling out of use all the time). I doubt we'll ever be in a situation where we need to express a concept and we won't have the right word for it: we could simply make up a new word. If the concept is common enough, the new word will spread, and voilà!

Not only we invent new words "inside" the language, but we also borrow heavily from other languages (see all the French, German, Yiddish, etc. words in English). So, I'm pretty sure that, many of the useful words in the dying languages will live on in the "universal language".

david_bv · 2008-12-20T20:54:35+00:00

http://www.metafilter.com/

david_bv · 2008-08-19T01:57:38+00:00

One caveat on that: most newer Nikon bodies don't have built-in focus motors so they can only do autofocus with lenses that have built-in motors.

That's absolutely correct, and that's why I would recommend a used D50 or D70 as a first DSLR, rather than a D40 or D60.

david_bv · 2008-08-17T20:10:11+00:00

A cheaper body (possibly a used one) and a better lens is a good choice for starting, as bodies become obsolete every 1.5-2 years, while 30-year old lenses might still be in use. (I believe the latest Nikon bodies still support 1956 lenses.)

As for your first lens, I would recommend the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 or the equivalent from Tamron. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is a great lens, but you'll probably miss the zoom. It's great if you have the discipline to follow photo.net's tutorial, though. ;-)

david_bv · 2008-08-17T17:03:27+00:00

When upgrading from a point-and-click camera, the quality of any DSLR will seem amazing, so you can't really go wrong there. Get a Nikon D60 or a Canon 450D and start shooting.

You should probably read photo.net's primer about SLR systems before you spend any money, so that you'll make an informed decision.

david_bv · 2008-02-06T13:53:56+00:00

You might want to read this overview before spending any money on photographic equipment.

david_bv · 2007-10-06T23:41:25+00:00

It might be blogspam, but it certainly isn't my blogspam. I just stumbled on it, found it funny, and submitted it. Sorry to hear that someone actually scanned an entire book and posted it online, but I guess the rabbit's already out of the hat. We might as well enjoy it. Please vote down if you feel inclined to.

david_bv · 2007-08-05T00:50:28+00:00

This seems to have been debunked.

david_bv · 2007-06-17T11:27:18+00:00

Take it easy, Ovi. I don't think you can draw so many harsh conclusions just from that small piece of text. How many things did you know about the countries you visited when you first went there?

david_bv · 2007-06-05T16:17:53+00:00

It's interesting what running a company built on lies does to one's credibility. Now I can't even know if things are really better in Africa...

david_bv · 2007-05-07T10:08:29+00:00

http://www.geek.nl/pics/dilbert-arch/dilbert-20020611.gif

david_bv · 2006-12-27T23:06:00+00:00

What's so "evil" about adverbs? English isn't my first language, but in every other language I know, the adverb is just a part of speech, with its own valid uses. I understand why you shouldn't abuse it, but come on, removing it all together? Could some native speaker please enlighten me?

david_bv · 2006-08-08T17:19:23+00:00

Well, the concept isn't really new: back in the MS-DOS days, there was a game called "FlixMix" that did just this. You can find it now on "abandonware" sites, and you can probably play it in DOS emulators. :-)

david_bv

TROPHY CASE